Heyooooo!

       I'm wearing socks for the first time in a while and I'm seriously question humanity. Socks feel so weird.

       Anyways, how are y'all? Taking care of yourself I hope. Sorry I haven't been very active. All my updates are slow right now and I'm truly sorry but I have a life (not really) and you know, I read too and I'm a little addicted to lose an different books right now.

       I decided to keep this story going for a little longer. There will only be three more chapters but at least it's something.

      Enjoy!

Percy's POV,

I was once told names hold power. The name of something isn't merely what you would call it. A name is what gives something presence and meaning. A name will get somethings attention, a name will give people emotions, a name is the source of ones strength.

One of the first things your parents do when you are born is name you. One of the first words you write is your name. You name is how people remember you. Maybe that's why after everyone forgot about me I felt my name didn't matter anymore.

Chaos smiled sadly at me as I stepped away from the ledge. His name was important. It was who he was.

"You will not regret this," he promised and I felt the urge to snap at him about how he didn't know me. Yeah, maybe not the best thing to say to the freaking creator of the universe.

He reached out with his hand and took ahold of my shoulder. With a snap of his fingers we were whisked away from the spot I nearly jumped from. My world shook and my vision hazed as O found myself in a new room I'd never seen before. Chaos let go of me and I stumbled, successfully falling on my face in what seemed like sand. Little grain got in my mouth and sputtered then out in disgust. Ugh, that sand will be there for days. Thanks Chais.

         Woah, hello grumpy Percy.

        I looked around the room and gasped. The ovular arenas walls were covered in weapons. Spears, bows, swords, daggers, javelins, you name it. The sand (which some had rudely entered my mouth when I face planted) was a dark black with speckles of white that made the the arena look as if it were floating in the night sky. I gasped at the purpled curtains the closed of all the entrances and the silver stands for crowds.

       "Wow," was all I said as I slowly made my way to my feet. I caught a sniff of something that smelled rather like the ocean on a lazy morning. I glanced at Chaos who smiling knowingly.

       "Smells like wherever your favourite place is. I would of bet yours smelt like your moms apartment," Chaos stayed. Oh, so that's what that cookie smell is.

       I tried to find it on me to smile but it seemed impossible as I recalled the past few months events. No, I would not smile. I would not smile, I couldn't.

        "This is the only room that doesn't look as the owner wishes," Chaos spoke as he clamped a hand on my shoulder again. "This will be where you spend most of your time, other than your room. But, before I show you where that is, I would like you to pick a team."

          Pick a team? What the hell did that mean?

        "You see," Chais said as he strode out of the room and I followed, "you are now the commander of my army as you agreed. I don't really have any recruits yet because I need a head squad first. You will be commander of that squad and the entire army while others will only be the commander if there squad.

        I have a few  ideas for who will be apart of your team but I need your help picking the rest. The only rules when choosing are to pick the dead, but those dead had to have died heroes. You are allowed to pick five warriors for your squad but infinite for other squads. Got it?"

         I stood there in shock. Well wasn't this moving fast. I never liked fast things. "Er... I guess?"

        Chaos chuckled and sat down on a golden chair that had materialized from thin air. Okay, not weird at all. Judging from the dudes smirk, I figured Chaos was the childish sort of person. Lovely. He'd get along just fantastically with the depressed Percy I was becoming.

       Oh gods, the negativity is back. Yippee.

       "Well, decide," Chaos urged with a gesture of his hand.

        "Pardon?"

        "Pick five warriors, or should I?" He smirked. "I'm sure there are a few famous mortals who'd enjoy the job, particularly those who were serial killers."

         Umm, yeah no. No way in hades was I working with serial killers. I sighed and thought for a solid moment. Anyone as long as they were dead and a hero.

        "Bianca Di Angelo, Zoë nightshade, Ethan Nukerma (A/N I spelt that wrong, help) Charles Beckendorf and Silena beuragauf." I said with a stony expression. There were others that I still wanted though. "I want Luke to be put in another squad though. He was a hero too, even if I didn't really like him."

         Plus, Annabeth would slap me if I didn't ask for him to have some kind of role. Stop it, I told myself. She doesn't matter. She does matter anymore. She doesn't matter... but she still mattered. I still loved her.

         Stupid heart. Why do you have to give me feelings? Why couldn't I just forget about them like they forgot me?

         Chaos smirked. "I believe I have other plans for Mr Castellan."

        I frowned at that, well frowned more. Chaos snapped his fingers and before me stood eight hooded figures. I gawked at them. That was quick.

        "I present to you the first squad of Chaos's army." Chaos beamed at his warriors. "Please take your hoods of and present yourself to your commander."

          One by one the army pulled down their hoods revealing each of the people I asked for. The sixth figure was the one and only Orion and next to him the one I was named after, Perseus. Wow. I was actually meeting them.

         Despite my awe of them I couldn't bring myself to smile, especially when I saw the eighth person. Great. I know he was a hero and all but that doesn't mean we'd get along. I scowled at my former enemy, now fellow warrior, Luke Castellan.

         "Percy?" Nearly all of them said at the same time. They stared at me with shocked expressions. In that moment the realizing of the situation cane barrelling at me. They were really here. They were alive... sort of.

         Charlie was the first to react by running towards me and wrapping me in a hug. Selena, Bianca, Zoë and Ethan (shockingly) followed his example and squished me with embrace. For a quick second I let myself smile. That small moment of joy quickly ended when Luke cleated his throat.

       "So, you finally died, hey?" he said while frowning at me. I could be wrong but I saw a hint of sadness, longing perhaps, as he stared at our hugging group. Was he jealous of our otter family? No, couldn't be. If he wanted friends he wouldn't have betrayed them. Right?

        "Percy here," Chaos answered for me, "is not dead. He has kindly agreed to leave earth behind and help the army."

         More like had only one other option which was to die and even then would still have to join this stupid army. So not 'agreed' but instead forced to join.

        "Has he been debriefed on the rules?" Perseus asked and eyed me suspiciously.

       "Have you?" I snapped back and saw the Greek legend flinch.

         Chaos rolled his eyes and leaned back further in his chair. "Percy, the warriors have been preparing for months now. Once I saw the state you were-" I glared at him so he stopped. "Er, how you seemed to appeal to other paths I started to train the warriors I assumed you would pick. Of course there are a few others for different squads and the few like Orion and Perseus who I decided would make a good fit even if you did not ask for them."

       "Oh," was all I said as I looked apologetically at Perseus. I felt bad for snapping at him but I didn't exactly have my emotions in check lately. "What else is there that I should know?"

       "Well, I plan to work with you to crate more rules and create a system. You will be in charge of sending out missions. Anything you say goes as long as I don't disagree, which I hardly ever." Chaos looked around for support from the rest of the army who nodded in agreement. "Oh! And you have code names. Bianca is Shade, Zoe is Huntress, Ethan is Pirate, Perseus is Sparks, Orion is Scorpion and Luke is Alpha."

        I snorted at the last name. Luke? Alpha? Gosh, what did he do to win that title. "And What is mine?" I asked.

        Chaos stood up from his seat and trotted over to the exit. "That is for you to decide when you are ready. For now though, the boys shall show you your room. Tata!"

         He strolled out of the arena with a wave of his hand. Charlie three an arm over my shoulder and started to guide me to what U assumed was my room with Like, Ethan and the legends following behind us.

          I ducked out from under Beckendorfs grip. He looked at me weirdly for a moment before trotting along happily down the black painted corridors.

         "So," Perseus said as he pulled up beside me. Orion went around to my other side so they trapped me. "Who exactly are you?"

        I stared at the floor. Good question. Of course instead of saying that I simply said my name. "Perseus Jackson."

        "Hey!" Orion shrieked. "That's his name!"

         I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. My mom named me after him since according to the myth he was the only Greek hero that lived and didn't die painfully."

          Peruses grinned brightly and ruffled my hair (I didn't like that) before asking another question. "What did you do? I mean the others told us story's of how they died and a little about what the modern world of earth is like but what makes you so heroic?"

          I don't know, I'm no hero. "Well, for starters I retrieved the lightning bolt?" It came out as more of a question than a fact.

       "And...?" Orion pestered.

       "Sailed the sea of monsters, held up the sky in Atlas's place, navigated the labyrinth, defeated Kronos sort of. I mean Luke did most of that. I traveled through Tartarus and brought down Gaea. Plus a few more things that I don't feel like mentioning."

       Perseus was gawking at my while Orion burst out laughing.

        "Hey guys!" Orion called out to Luke and Charlie. "This guy really is something!"

         "Oh yeah!" Beckendorf responded. "He's crazy!" He was crazy. No he's just depressed and a loser... was always a loser.

        "Uh huh," Luke snorted. "Just a real epic guy." Sarcasm much? Why did I have a feeling Luke and I weren't going to get along at all.

        I frowned more and stopped next to Ethan in front of a navy blue door. Like in the arena, this section of the hallway smelled like the ocean. I glanced at the other boys before opening the door.

      My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the wondrous room. A queen sized bed with plank posted holding up blue sheets was tucked away in the corner. The walls were painted navy with swirls of black and white licking at the silver base boards. A small black dresser lined the right wall and the roof was painted with galaxy's and stars that lit up the room.

      I think I was drooling at the thing. Annabeth would have loved this. Of course maybe with more grey than blue. Stop thinking about her!

       Holding back a cry I turned to face the others. "This is..."

       "I know right!" Orion yelled as he jumped into my bed. "All the rooms are designed to please the owner, pretty neat! Oh oh! This is the boys hallway. The girls sleep just down the right corridor."

        Perseus leaves closer to me and whispered in my ear, "You're next to Charles. Might want to buy some ear plugs for when his girlfriend hangs out over there."

         "Eww!" I shrieked and jumped away from him. "Too much information!"

        "Just warning you," he smirked while shrugging. "I'm on the other side of him, trust me you want ear plugs."

       "Please just stop talking!" I begged as I covered my ears. Gross. Gross. Gross.

        "Hey you're smiling!" Orion exclaimed while pointing at me. Sure enough I was. It was nice to be around people that joked with me and actually acknowledged my presence. "I was getting scared you were an expressionless oaf!"

         I scowled at that. Did I really come across like that?

       "Nah, Percy here is the most sassy idiot out there!" Charlie said as he swung an arm over my shoulder which I, again, shrugged off. I really didn't want to touch people.

         I moved away from the others and sat down on my bed which Orion has gotten off of and was now staring at the fish tank on the north wall. My expression saddened as I remembered all the nights I lay, in my own bed at home, crying. The choked sobs and heart wrenching feeling that filled my chest. Was Chaos right? Was it possible that I could find a life among the army. If so, why did I still want to go back to that the roof and jump?

"Hey, buddy," Beckendorfs comforting voice rang out as he sat down next to me. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I snapped and glared at him. The son of Hephaestus flinched at my words. He frowned before speaking again.

"Sorry, I'm just worried about you."

"Why would you need to be worried?" I snarled. "You shouldn't care about me. I don't need you sympathy."

I winced when I saw the look on my friends face. I immediately regretted my words as Charlie got up and started leaving for the door. "Beck, wait. I didn't mean-"

"No. I get it," he sighed. "We'll leave you alone." And with that, him and the others left the room. Luke hovered by the door with a disapproving frown resting on his expression.

"I don't know what happened to make you like this," he said after a few short moments. "But they don't deserve to have you take it out on them."

I stared at my former enemy. I saw in his eyes that he truly cared for the army, that he was sorry for everything he did. In that moment I saw a boy who loved his family and right now, that boy saw a person who was a threat to them, who would hurt them. I was that person.

Luke left the room without a moments hesitation and I was left alone once again. I had a chance, and I pushed them away. Gods, I'm such an idiot.

Who had I become?

With that thought replaying in my head, I curled up on the bed and cried.

-:-

The next day flew by. It didn't help that after lunch I spent the rest of the time locked up in my room. I could imagine that the entire squad thought I was a washed up loser who pitied them self too much. Gods, I was pathetic.

"Hey," my door creaked open and I was startled by the sight of Chaos standing there in his elegant robes that he obviously only wore to be dramatic.

"Hey," I replied weakly. I didn't bother to shift from my crisscrossed position in my bed. Chaos sat down next to me. Well more like flopped onto his back with an exaggerated sigh.

"The others are worried about you," Chaos said after what felt like hours of lapsed silence. I groaned and shoved my face into my pillow. "Should I tell them about your... Er. Issue?"

"No. I don't want them to look at me with those sad eyes." I glanced down at Chaos who was playing with a loose thread on his cloak. "I don't want pity, I just want to feel okay."

Chaos propped himself up on his elbows. "We don't always get to feel okay. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. I suggest you tell someone."

"But you know?"

"But I'm not human," he said with a sigh. He rolled on to his back and stared at the starry ceiling. "I am of the universe and the galaxy's. my life will carry on until nothing else is left. I do not feel things the same way as others do. I cannot understand your pain or help you with it. That is why certain laws were made to restrict me from interfering directly with things. I cannot help you. I have no guidance just as the stars do not speak. I am only here as a reminder for you. A reminder I plead you to listen too."

The silence that followed his words was comforting. Words were not needed when the feeling was there. How could this childlike being be so wise? How could he speak of the universe as if it were his child so naturally.

        I looked at the starry pattern on my ceiling with anew light. Suddenly it felt like more than a roof. The stars hung over me, sheltering me, comforting me. I smiled at Chaos, after all, he was the stars and the universe they rare in.

        "Have you picked a name?" He asked, startling me.

        "No," I said and lied down next to the almighty ruler of the universe. If someone told me a year ago, when the war ended, that this is where I would be, I would not believe them. If someone told me seven years ago this was how my life would go, I would have believed it.

         Seven years ago, I was the loser. I was an outcast, a nobody. Perhaps I've dated that to this day and maybe only recently people started to realize it again. In that way I guess I rose to the top only to fall again.

         "How did the others choose their names?" I asked after that brief moment of thought.

        "Most of their names were obvious," he stated with a shrug. "Pirate for the eyepatch, Sparks for his descendant from Zeus, Beauty for Selena. Really simple things."

         I nodded along but one name nagged at my mind. "What about Luke? Alpha seems like a name for the leader."

           Chaos rolled on his side to face me. I raised my eyebrows at him and he sighed with defeat or annoyance. I couldn't tell.

         "Luke didn't know what his name would be," he started to say. "He believed he didn't want to be known by his godly father or the fact that he had followed Kronos. It was difficult to pick a name for him. It wasn't until he sat down and shared his life story with Orion and Perseus that he realized he would be Alpha.

        You see, Luke started from the bottom. He was the lesser end of the pack, the runt. But, as he died he was a hero, no more a traitor. He rose to the top of the pack. When he took upon the name of Alpha it was to show how he was good in the end. He wanted his afterlife to be about that and working towards staying in the good."

        I nodded my head and pondered on that. Alpha. It did fit him. As much as I didn't get along with the guy, he was a hero, and he had been forgiven.

         In a way, I had done the opposite. He was the traitor that become the hero. I was the hero that became the outcast. I had lowered to the bottom of the pack. I was not the Alpha. I am the lowest rank. "Omega."

         "Pardon?" Chaos asked, clearly dazed by the statement.

         "I am the Omega of the pack," I said  as I stared at the stars above me. I let a sad smile creep across my face. "And so it shall be my name. Omega."

————————————————————————

         So my Dad actually inspired me to do this chapter. Thank him, he is one of the only reasons this story goes on (but only for two more chapters after this). He was questioning why I named Percy Omega instead of Alpha because he was the leader and Luke was not.

          So y'all got this chapter because I realized never explained the reason in Omega of the dead heroes.

         Happy late Canada day! And early July fourth for those Americans! ✌️

         Stay healthy!
       Last update: 03/07/2020